Arcade Insight - Battle Arena

The dopest place on planet earth.

Sure you’ve got 'Arcade UFO' if you’re out in the Cali. Totally you've got Skegness if you're out in the UK.. But that shit is shamed in comparison to 'Battle Arena' in Shinjuku.. Totally eclipsed..

It's one of the unsung hubs in central Japan, with one of the biggest fight game layouts in the world. A few mins walk from Shinjuku station and a minute’s floorspace walk from wall to wall (mainly due to heaving crowds day in day out).

First introduced to me a few months back, cabinets include every fighter you'd be expecting nowadays.. Just more than usual, and better than usual.. 12 Super Street Fighter cabinets all with good spectator space (yeah That shit really does matter, nothing beats landing a juggle while having someone's crotch riding up against you huh), 12 Tekken cabinets, soon to become Tekken Tag 2’s, VF, SC, MB, GG, you name it. The arena itself is based in the lower level of the Sega arcade, so aswel as the fight section, you've also got the mad array of Taiko and whatnot.. (Good for cool downs I guess)

In terms of a serious gaming atmosphere, ‘Battle Arena’ really covers the needs of a competitive fighter .. a fighters arena, with competitions monthly, heavy crowd participation and often a hangout for Daigo, Tokido, and a bunch of the high level players out in Japan..

On the flipside, Akiba is undoubtedly the hub of gaming in Japan, but anyone who has had the misfortune to experience that bullshit will tell you it's like walking into a hentai otaku’s bedroom.. Emotionless, starchy, loveless ..Shinjuku is the real thing man.

Congrats. Battle Arena gets a Chun Li (Sexy and a mean bitch award)! Dope ass Arcade with everything that you want, spacious, close to the station, good prices, you name it. Check it out!

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=battle+arena+shinjuku&hl=en&ll=35.689407,139.69732&spn=0.001198,0.002009&sll=35.689653,139.697803&sspn=0.001198,0.002009&safe=off&filter=0&radius=0.07&z=19&layer=c&cbll=35.689401,139.69719&panoid=t4qshBKC_Z1qK7JysHPPnw&cbp=12,59.94,,0,-2.83

Fight Term. - Whiff

"He whiffed that shit out bro!"


That shit is pretty confusing yo! When I heard one of the Soul Cal guys shout this out at Evo on a stream the other day.. I didn't know what the hell was going on.. Turns out that 'whiffin' is just terminology for a move that doesn't land.. for whatever reason. Could be a feint, a parry, or just a miscalculation. But looking further into it, the wiff is 90% percent of a game, either in terms of mental conditioning, warning your opponent or zoning. Good stuff, good stuff..

Meanwhile an awesome place for Street Fighter terminology is sonichurricane.com/articles/sfterms.html#tech In terms of SF terminology, you'd need to go a long way to step up Sonichurricane.com, but I'm still after a hub of all the resources. Any hints??

            

7 - Arcade Ranking

Tokyo has a huge arcade market. You’ve got Sega, Taito, Monaco ..  and a bucket load of indie places.. But what’s between a good game center, and an epic Arcade?


In no particular order ..

1. The Competition

Absolutely fundamental to an even half way decent game center is the crowd participation. Taking it to the next level in competitive gameplay means you have to be around the best, fighting the best. Without a truly competitive environment to grow in, you're never going to get lose that pressure and stress that come with a tournament.. big or small. 

2. Atmosphere

Crowd participation covered, let's look at another fundamental.. The place's atmosphere has to be spot on. Not just in a competitive sense, but with everything, from comfortable seats, to the vibe from other players. 

3. Quality

"A bad workman blames his tools" .. I'm not sure what kind of tool started this rumor.. But that is way off man. Fight games have extremely sensitive and precise mechanisms requiring timing and accuracy. Using a dud machine is like tying your hand behind you back and trying to play with your chin.. The cabinets need to be hella maintained.

4. Spacing

Something that grows appreciation daily living here in Tokyo; personal space. Being able to sit and game without having crotches rub past is a huge plus to any game center. Understandably these places need jam packing with cabinets.. But c'mon, seriously?! You need to be playing comfortably with space between yourself and those around..

5. Prices

Generally fighting games come in at between 50 and 100 yen, which is cool.. However you have to keep an eye on the ball with the gimmicks. Look out for shorter time limits, reduced bout numbers both in 1 to 1 and CPU games.. Check what you’re paying for.

6. Tourneys

You got the competitors, but you gotto have that opportunity to put your name down on paper.. to represent  .. The thing about tourneys, aside from the competition and chance for glory, is just to know that the arcade you've been supporting, has been supporting you back. The tournaments are what keep fighting games alive, and you gotto respect that.

7. Selection

Dealing with everything from games available, and release dates, to whats on off in the vending machines. Sure you can expect the usual selection, but to grow your game as a fighter, you gotto spend time experimenting on other games. There's no point just hating on a game like BlazBlue, especially if you havn't given it a few hours attention, give it a try, and who knows whats to be learnt..


Agree, disagree? Hit me up!